San Francisco–Over the first two years of the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center (March 19, 2020 to March 31, 2022), individuals across the country have reported 11,467 incidents, according to a newly released report of Stop AAPI Hate coalition.
This number is just the tip of the iceberg. The coalition’s nationally representative survey conducted in partnership with Edelman Data & Intelligence found that one in five Asian Americans and one in five Pacific Islanders experienced a hate incident in 2020 or 2021
The report found, one in six (17%) incidents involved physical violence, one in six (16%) incidents involved avoidance or shunning, more than one in nine (12%) incidents included possible civil rights violations, such as discrimination in a business or workplace, more than one in four (27%) incidents took place in businesses, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, or “big box” retail, and one in ten (10%) incidents occurred online.
According to the coalition, Anti-AAPI hate has had significant impacts, such as physical and mental trauma. Repeated incidence of hate can lead to fear, stress, depression, and anxiety — indications of racial trauma.
A 2021 nationwide survey of AAPIs found that: ONLY HALF (49%) of AAPIs felt safe going out. TWO IN THREE (65%) worried about the safety of family members and elders. And ONE IN THREE (32%) parents were concerned about their child being a victim of anti-AAPI hate or discrimination in unsupervised spaces and on the way to school.
ALMOST HALF (49%) reported depression or anxiety ALMOST THREE-QUARTERS (72%) named discrimination against them as their greatest source of stress, even ahead of their health concerns during the pandemic.
Here are some highlights learned from an analysis of 11,500 hate incidents over the last two years:
- Harassment is a major problem. Two in three reported incidents involve harassment, such as hate speech or inappropriate gestures, and cannot be considered hate crimes.
- Hate is intersectional. Nearly 60% of incidents were reported by women and girls, who must grapple with the dual forces of racism and sexism. LGBTQ+ AAPIs must also deal with homophobia and transphobia.
- Policing cannot solve the problem. AAPI communities have identified public education, like ethnic studies; community safety solutions, like victim services; and civil rights enforcement, like anti-discrimination laws, as the most effective avenues to address and reduce anti-Asian hate.
The Stop AAPI Hate coalition was launched on March 19, 2020 by AAPI Equity Alliance, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University. Its mission is to advance equity, justice, and power by dismantling systemic racism and building a multiracial movement to end anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate.
